SEV Biblia, Chapter 24:25
Y disertando l de la justicia, y del dominio propio, y del juicio venidero, espantado Flix, respondi: Ahora vete, mas cuando tenga oportunidad te llamar.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 24:25
Verse 25. As he reasoned of righteousness] dikaiosunhv; The principles and requisitions of justice and right, between God and man; and between man and his fellows, in all relations and connections of life. Temperance] egkrateiav, Chastity; self-government or moderation with regard to a man's appetites, passions, and propensities of all kinds.
And judgment to come] krimatov tou mellontov; The day of retribution, in which the unjust, intemperate, and incontinent, must give account of all the deeds done in the body. This discourse of St. Paul was most solemnly and pointedly adapted to the state of the person to whom it was addressed. Felix was tyrannous and oppressive in his government; lived under the power of avarice and unbridled appetites; and his incontinence, intemperance, and injustice, appear fully in depriving the king of Emesa of his wife, and in his conduct towards St. Paul, and the motives by which that conduct was regulated. And as to Drusilla, who had forsaken the husband of her youth, and forgotten the covenant of her God, and become the willing companion of this bad man, she was worthy of the strongest reprehension; and Paul's reasoning on righteousness, temperance, and judgment, was not less applicable to her than to her unprincipled paramour.
Felix trembled] "The reason of Felix's fear," says Bp. Pearce, "seems to have been, lest Drusilla, who was a Jewess, and knew that what she had done was against the law of Moses, might be influenced by Paul's discourse, and Felix's happiness with her disturbed. What is said of Felix, ver. 26, seems to show that he had no remorse of conscience for what he had done." On the head of Drusilla's scruples, he had little to fear; the king of Emesa, her husband, had been dead about three years before this; and as to Jewish scruples, she could be little affected by them: she had already acted in opposition to the Jewish law, and she is said to have turned heathen for the sake of Felix. We may therefore hope that Felix felt regret for the iniquities of his life; and that his conscience was neither so scared nor so hardened, as not to receive and retain some gracious impressions from such a discourse, delivered by the authority, and accompanied with the influence, of the Spirit of God. His frequently sending for the apostle, to speak with him in private, is a proof that he wished to receive farther instructions in a matter in which he was so deeply interested; though he certainly was not without motives of a baser kind; for he hoped to get money for the liberation of the apostle.
Go thy way for this time] His conscience had received as much terror and alarm as it was capable of bearing; and probably he wished to hide, by privacy, the confusion and dismay which, by this time, were fully evident in his countenance.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 25. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come , etc.] The apostle not only discoursed concerning the doctrine of faith in Christ, but insisted upon the duties of religion: and particularly he reasoned upon righteousness; not justifying righteousness, that is only the righteousness of Christ, and which rather belongs to the doctrine of faith in Christ; but the exercise of justice, or the doing of righteousness between man and man; which was agreeably to the light of nature, to the law of God, and Gospel of Christ, and is a virtue highly necessary in a judge, and was greatly wanting in Felix; who, as the historian says f1204 , was guilty of much cruelty and injustice throughout this government and therefore very appropriately did the apostle fall on this subject: and he might also reason concerning the necessity of a righteousness, in order to justify before God, and to appear before him with acceptance, and to enter into heaven: he might show, that it was the loss of righteousness which was the reason of the first man being removed from his place and state of happiness, in which he was whilst innocent; and that to admit persons into heaven without a righteousness, is contrary to the pure and holy nature of God, who loves righteousness, and hates iniquity; and particularly would not be agreeable to his justice, which requires a perfect righteousness; yea, it would be uncomfortable to holy men themselves, to have ungodly and unrighteous persons with them in heaven: he might also reason upon the want of righteousness, which is in every man; how that the first man having lost his righteousness, all his posterity are destitute of one; and that they are not able to work out one acceptable to God, and which will justify in his sight; that the thing is impracticable and impossible, and that that which men call a righteousness is not one, at least is not a justifying one: he might insist upon the unprofitableness of a mans own works of righteousness for such a purpose, by observing the imperfection of them; and that justification by them is contrary to Gods declared way of justifying sinners, is derogatory to his free grace, would make null and void the death of Christ, and encourage boasting in men; and all this he might reason about, in order to convince him of the necessity and suitableness of the righteousness of faith in Christ, he had before been discoursing of: and very pertinently in the next place did he insist on temperance; or continence, and chastity; since Felix had enticed away another mans wife, and now lived in adultery with her: and who was now with him, whilst hearing this discourse; which concluded with an account of judgment to come; how that Jesus Christ is appointed the Judge of quick and dead, and that all must appear before him, stand at his bar, and be accountable to him for all their actions, and be judged by him, which will be done in the most righteous manner: he might argue this, not only from the Scriptures of the Old Testament, of which Drusilla might have some knowledge, such as ( Psalm 96:13, Ecclesiastes 3:17 11:9 12:14 # Daniel 7:9,10), but from reason, from the relation which men stand in to God, as his creatures, and therefore are accountable to him for their actions; and from the justice of God, which in many instances, in the present state of things, is not manifest: good men are afflicted and suffer much, and bad men flourish and enjoy great prosperity; wherefore there must be another state in which things will have another turn, and justice will take place: he might from hence conclude the certainty of a future judgment; and the universality of it, that it would reach to all men and things, and would proceed according to the strict rules of justice, and in the most awful manner; and that a true and just sentence would be pronounced and strictly executed: upon which account of things, Felix trembled ; his conscience was awakened, accused him of the injustice and incontinence he had been guilty of; and his mind was filled with horror, at the thought of the awful judgment he could not escape, which Paul had described unto him; nor could he bear him to discourse any longer on these subjects: and answered, go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee ; he signifying he was not at leisure now to hear him any longer; when he had a spare hour he would send for him, and hear him out; but this was only an excuse to get rid of him now, and lull his conscience asleep, and make it quiet and easy; which he was afraid would be more and more disturbed, should he suffer Paul to go on preaching in this manner: it is a saying of R. Judah f1205 , say not when I am at leisure I will learn, perhaps thou wilt never be at leisure.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 22-27 - The apostle reasoned concerning the nature and obligations of righteousness, temperance, and of a judgment to come; thus showing the oppressive judge and his profligate mistress, their need of repentance forgiveness, and of the grace of the gospel. Justice respects ou conduct in life, particularly in reference to others; temperance, the state and government of our souls, in reference to God. He who does no exercise himself in these, has neither the form nor the power of godliness, and must be overwhelmed with the Divine wrath in the day of God's appearing. A prospect of the judgment to come, is enough to make the stoutest heart to tremble. Felix trembled, but that was all. Man are startled by the word of God, who are not changed by it. Many fea the consequences of sin, yet continue in the love and practice of sin In the affairs of our souls, delays are dangerous. Felix put off thi matter to a more convenient season, but we do not find that the mor convenient season ever came. Behold now is the accepted time; hear the voice of the Lord to-day. He was in haste to turn from hearing the truth. Was any business more urgent than for him to reform his conduct or more important than the salvation of his soul! Sinners often star up like a man roused from his sleep by a loud noise, but soon sin again into their usual drowsiness. Be not deceived by occasiona appearances of religion in ourselves or in others. Above all, let u not trifle with the word of God. Do we expect that as we advance i life our hearts will grow softer, or that the influence of the worl will decline? Are we not at this moment in danger of being lost for ever? Now is the day of salvation; tomorrow may be too late __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
διαλεγομενου 1256 5740 V-PNP-GSM δε 1161 CONJ αυτου 846 P-GSM περι 4012 PREP δικαιοσυνης 1343 N-GSF και 2532 CONJ εγκρατειας 1466 N-GSF και 2532 CONJ του 3588 T-GSN κριματος 2917 N-GSN του 3588 T-GSN μελλοντος 3195 5723 V-PAP-GSN εσεσθαι 2071 5705 V-FXN εμφοβος 1719 A-NSM γενομενος 1096 5637 V-2ADP-NSM ο 3588 T-NSM φηλιξ 5344 N-NSM απεκριθη 611 5662 V-ADI-3S το 3588 T-ASN νυν 3568 ADV εχον 2192 5723 V-PAP-ASN πορευου 4198 5737 V-PNM-2S καιρον 2540 N-ASM δε 1161 CONJ μεταλαβων 3335 5631 V-2AAP-NSM μετακαλεσομαι 3333 5698 V-FMI-1S σε 4571 P-2AS
Vincent's NT Word Studies
25. Righteousness, temperance, the judgment to come. Three topics which bore directly upon the character of Felix. Tacitus says of him that he "exercised the authority of a king with the spirit of a slave; "and that, by reason of the powerful influence at his command, "he supposed he might perpetrate with impunity every kind of villainy." He had persuaded his wife Drusilla to forsake her husband and marry him. He had employed assassins to murder the high-priest Jonathan, and might well tremble at the preaching of the judgment to come. Temperance (egkrateia) is, properly, self-control; holding the passions in hand.Trembled (emfobov genomenov) Lit., having become in fear. Rev., better, was terrified.
For this time (to nun econ). Or, for the present. Very literally, as to what has itself now.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
24:25 {Was terrified} (emfobos genomenos). Ingressive aorist middle of ginomai, "becoming terrified." emfobos (en and fobos) old word, in the N.T. only #Lu 24:5; Ac 10:5; 24:25; Re 11:13. Paul turned the tables completely around and expounded "the faith in Christ Jesus" as it applied to Felix and Drusilla and discoursed (dialegomenou autou, genitive absolute) concerning "righteousness" (dikaiosunes) which they did not possess, "self-control" or temperance (egkrateias) which they did not exhibit, and "the judgment to come" (tou krimatos tou mellontos) which was certain to overtake them. Felix was brought under conviction, but apparently not Drusilla. Like another Herodias her resentment was to be feared (Knowling). {Go thy way for this time} (to nun econ poreuou). The ancient Greek has this use of to nun econ (Tobit 7:11) in the accusative of time, "as for the present or holding the now." {When I have a convenient season} (kairon metalabwn). Second aorist active participle of the old verb metalambanw, to find a share in, to obtain. It was his "excuse" for dodging the personal turn that Paul had given.
